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Ex Post Facto (episode)
Tom Paris is convicted of murder. However, he denies having committed the crime, even though the images extracted from the victim's own memory seem to prove his guilt. Summary Harry Kim returns to the Voyager with horrifying news: Tom Paris has been convicted of murder and as punishment has to relive his victims last moments over and over again. Earlier, Kim and Paris visited the homeworld of the Baneans and met engineering physicist Tolen Ren. Ren asked the two men to help him with a damaged piece of equipment and also invited them over for dinner in his house. While there, Paris allegedly got bored and spent some time with Tolen's young wife Lidell Ren. Soon after, Tolen heard about Lidell's relationship with Tom and confronted her. Sometime on the following night, Tolen was stabbed to death in his living room in front of Lidell. Paris was arrested and convicted of the murder. The sentence: to relive the crime through the victim's eyes once every 14 hours for the rest of his life. This was done by examining the victim's memories and implanting them into Paris' brain. Captain Janeway orders the crew to head for the Banean homeworld to investigate. Once they arrive, they talk with Paris about the crime. He denies having killed Tolen even though he did spend some time with Lidell. Immediately afterward, Paris relives the murder once again and loses consciousness. Janeway asks the Benean minister to take him to their ship for a medical evaluation. Soon after, Tuvok visits the murder scene and speaks with Mrs. Ren. She says that she witnessed the murder and that it has in fact been committed by Tom. Suddenly, the Baeneans' enemy, the Numiri, attack Voyager. After these events, Tuvok decides to perform a mind-meld with Paris, in order to witness the crime for himself. During the mind meld, Tuvok understands why Paris is convicted of the murder and why the Numiri chose to attack the Voyager. At a meeting the following day, Tuvok reveals that Lieutenant Paris was not the man the professor saw before he was murdered because someone altered the memory engrams of the professor's brain. He also reveals that Lidell's statement was false: the man the professor observed with his wife was virtually equal in height with her, however, Tom Paris is clearly several inches taller. Moreover, the killer – unlike Lt. Paris - knew Benean anatomy for he knew exactly where to stab the professor. Lastly, the equations Paris sees in his memory are not typical to the procedure but rather equations taken from Prof. Ren's weapon's research: someone intended them to be delivered to the Numiri – thus sending secret data to the enemy. That is why they were attempting to attack the Voyager: they wanted to get a hold of Lt. Paris. Tuvok names the doctor who performed the memory transplant on Paris, as the real killer of Prof. Ren and Lidell as his accomplice. He proves this final point by referring to the second witness to the murder: the victim's pet dog Neeka that clearly recognized the doctor and was familiar with him when he entered the room. Later in the mess hall, Lt. Paris thanks Tuvok for having saved his life but Tuvok states that he merely conducted a criminal investigation searching for the truth and that Paris doesn't owe him anything. Paris thanks him anyway, stating that whether Tuvok likes it or not, he made a friend today. Memorable Quotes "Smoking is a bad habit. My species gave it up centuries ago when we finally got it into our heads it was killing us." : - Tom Paris, to Lidell Ren "Maybe I kill myself slowly because I don't have the courage to do it quickly." : - Lidell Ren "What are you looking at?" "Not the same thing you're looking at, that's for sure." : - Tom Paris and Harry Kim, after Kim notices Paris' interest in Lidell Ren "What are you looking at?" : - Tom Paris, to Neeka, the Ren's canine "What do you see?" "Shoes... muddy shoes. The dog." "Good. That's exactly what you should see." : - Banean doctor and Tom Paris, as Paris relives Tolen Ren's last memory "I propose a mind meld with Lieutenant Paris." "A... a what? What did he say? A mind what?" : - Tuvok and Neelix "There are some who'd say you risked my future on the eyewitness identification of a dog." : - Tom Paris, to Tuvok "I was bored. You know how it is when two science guys get together." : - Tom Paris "I appreciate you sticking up for me. I owe you one." "I conducted a criminal investigation. If you had been guilty, I assure you, I would have pursued the truth just as vigilantly. You have no debt to me, Mr. Paris." : - Tom Paris and Tuvok "How come I always see you down here eating alone, Lieutenant?" "I prefer to read rather than engage in... what do Humans call it... short talk?" "Close enough." : - Tom Paris and Tuvok "That's one trick you won't be able to use again when we get back." "I have more." : - Janeway and Chakotay "Very, very curious. In Numiri terms, that greeting was downright friendly." : - Neelix "That rehab colony back in New Zealand doesn't seem so bad right now." : - Tom Paris Background Information * The surface of the Banean planet is the reused matte painting from . * The episode title is derived from the Latin for "After the fact", the legal term for retroactive law, and is one of seven Star Trek episodes with Latin names. The others are , , , , and . * The concept of showing a murder three times, once each from the perspectives of the victim, the victim's wife, and the accused may have been taken from Akira Kurosawa's 1950 film classic, . * Tuvok reveals he has been married for sixty-seven years, placing his wedding in 2304. * LeVar Burton becomes the first former Star Trek: The Next Generation cast member to direct an episode of Voyager. He would go on to direct seven more episodes over the course of the whole series, appearing as his character Geordi La Forge in one (Timeless). * Tuvok is still a lieutenant in this episode, and is addressed as one, but he has the rank pips of a lieutenant commander throughout the episode. He would not be promoted until the fourth season episode "Revulsion". Video and DVD releases * UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 1.4, catalogue number VHR 4004, . * As part of the VOY Season 1 DVD collection. Links and References Main Cast *Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway *Robert Beltran as Commander Chakotay *Roxann Biggs-Dawson as Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres *Robert Duncan McNeill as Lieutenant Tom Paris *Jennifer Lien as Kes *Ethan Phillips as Neelix *Robert Picardo as The Doctor *Tim Russ as Lieutenant Tuvok *Garrett Wang as Ensign Harry Kim Guest Stars *Robin McKee as Lidell Ren *Francis Guinan as Kray *Aaron Lustig as Banean Doctor *Ray Reinhardt as Tolen Ren Co-Star *Henry Brown as Numiri captain Uncredited Co-Stars *Julie Jiang as an operations division lieutenant j.g. *Louis Ortiz as Ensign Culhane *Simon Stotler as an operations division ensign *John Tampoya as Crewman Kashimuro Nozawa *Unknown performers as **Three Numiri officers **Two Banean guards References away team; ARA; Banea; Banean; Banean dog; Banean Engineering Institute; Banean warship; blood; cloud burst; collimator; dehydration; eclipse; engineering physicist; Galen; LN2 exhaust conduit; marob root tea; Maquis; memory engram; microscope; mind meld; navigational deflector; Neeka; neodextramine solution; neurology; neurological analysis; Numiri; Numiri patrol ship; pancreatic scan; phase emitter; regenerative shield; Rolk stew; runabout; Salk, Jonas; Spock, Benjamin; smoking; Teluridian IV; telepathy; Thalmerite; water |next= }} de:Die Augen des Toten es:Ex Post Facto fr:Ex Post Facto nl:Ex Post Facto Category:VOY episodes